Hanging Habagat - World Premiere | Making History 2024

Ensemble shares the premiere of Hanging Habagat, the second movement of Nag Iibang-Hangin by Robin Estrada, a work whose commissioning and premiere were both long delayed by the pandemic. Hanging Habagat depicts the frightening typhoons brought on by the southwestern monsoon winds. You’ll hear the rushing of wind, the pitter-patter of raindrops, and the wailing lament of a woman whose husband is adrift on the stormy seas: “the once-heard lullaby is turned to lamentation”.
Currently residing in the East Bay, Robin is an internationally acclaimed composer whose work brings together the indigenous folk music of Robin's native Philippines with Western classical music. Robin’s work is rooted in the styles, techniques, and structures of Southeast Asian traditional music, all in service of the idea of music as community ritual.
Nag Iibang-Hangin is a two-movement work reflecting on contrasting winds in the Philippines. The composer writes: "The text is about the two seasons in the Philippines - more specifically the two winds. Hanging-Amihan (Northeastern wind) which brings mild weather with gentle and cool breeze (October-May) and Hanging-Habagat (Southwestern wind) which brings in the high humidity, torrential rain, typhoons, and landslides."